Darkseid War
this was a most dangerous conflict launched by the Parademon Army of Apokolips in order for the Dark God to gain his vengeance on Earth 0, whose Justice League had defeated him during the Parademon Invasion of Earth. At the center of the conflict was Wonder Woman whose ancient connections to the Amazons and to Darkseid made her very pivotal in the workings of the Dark God. Background After rising to become one of the first New Gods, Darkseid took control of Apokolips while the Highfather took New Genesis. Eventually, the two planets came in orbit of each other. A massive war broke out, threatening to end the New Gods. However, Metron arrived and secured peace, with Darkseid adopting Scott and the Highfather taking Orion. While Orion ended up valuing the morals of New Genesis, Scott became Mr. Miracle and escaped his adopted father. As Metron waded through the Lost Timelines, he came across the Crisis in which the heroes of the Multiverse banded together to defeat the Anti-Monitor. With reality threatened for the first time, Metron watched as universes fell but with the defeat of the Anti-Monitor, reality remained unobstructed for a while as the Multiverse was destroyed. From the ashes of the Golden and Silver Timelines came the Sigma Timeline. However, the Sigma Timeline was threatened by Parallax, who turned it into the Zero Timeline. This timeline was forced to deal with the return of the Multiverse and the Flashpoint, an event which created the emantions of the original New Gods of the Lost Timelines and changed the timeline once more. With existence reborn, Metron began to wait for it to solidify but Darkseid was made aware of the Worlds of the Orrery by Kaiyo the Trickster. Obsessed with the hope that was Superman, Darkseid began to expand his Parademon Army by bio-forming various Earths in various universes. His attention captured by Earth 0 and Earth 2, with Darkseid becoming determined to rule over them. Seeing the Amazons of both worlds as key to conquering them, in Earth 0, Darkseid seduced Myrina and branded her with the Omega label. Eventually impregnating her and returning her to Themyscira, Myrina gave birth to Grail the same night Hippolyta gave birth to Diana. After Menalippe predicted Grail's horrifying future, Myrina killed Penelope and Menalippe before leaving Themyscira with her daughter. Myrina, however, intended to use Grail to carry out her ancient mission to destroy Darkseid. On Earth 2, Steppenwolf fathered the Fury of Amazonia and declared the Apokolips War. Launching the Parademon Invasion of Earth 0, Darkseid was faced by resistance and decided to face the Justice League personally. Wounded and injured by the heroes, Darkseid was unable to even appear on Earth 2 and lost that universe as well. Myrina later sent her daughter out into alternate universes in search of a being powerful enough to defeat Darkseid. Hiding in secret and recuperating, Darkseid's obsession with Earth 2 began to grow, but when the Justice League landed on Apokolips, he used the Omega Sanction to send the Batman back in time and created Simon Hurt. When Kalibak created the Chaos Cannon, the Batman returned to Apokolips to launch the Siege of the Chaos Cannon. Easily defeating Batman, Darkseid was still wounded by the Chaos Crystal. Deciding that he needed to recuperate faster, Darkseid ate out the heart of Apokolips and restored himself to full power just as the Second Apokolips War was launched. During the war, Darkseid finally estranged himself from Mr. Miracle, now viewing his son as a potential usurper. Defeating the Wonders of Earth 2, Darkseid transformed the planet into the new Apokolips and relished in his victory. Shortly after, Nix Uotan resurrected the Darkseid of the Lost Timelines. This Darkseid then merged himself with his emanations, restoring the Dark God to the reality crushing power he once held before the Flashpoint. WIth his new and more powerful strength, Darkseid seduced Lena Luthor to his side and proceeded to plot against the Justice League. Course of Events Phase One Mobius proceeded to bring Grail over to his side and decimated the entire universe of Earth 3 in an effort to give himself enough power to kill Darkseid. Breaking into the universe of Earth 0, Mobius witnessed the ARGUS Insurgency, but decided not to invade. Realizing that the various cycles of destruction and recreation that had resulted in the Lost Timelines was tearing the reality's cohesion apart, Metron went to Metropolis to observe the death of Wilson Morgan. After leaving Earth 0, Metron went to Earth 3 to confront Mobius, who was roaming the fallen planet's ruins. Informing Mobius that the Brainiac God had begun to stir, Metron's pleas were ignored. Trying to broker a deal with Mobius, Metron was attacked by Grail. Watching helplessly as Mobius declared he would kill Darkseid, Metron fled to try and stop the impending war. Viewing Telos "bleed" into the universe of Earth 0, Darkseid did not concern himself with the potential fall of reality. Instead, he understood that the time to find Myrina Black had begun and sent Kanto and Lyshina to Earth 0 to search for her. Both assassins began to systematically kill targets in pursuit of Myrina while Mr. Miracle returned to Apokolips to retrieve a Mother Box and fight Darkseid. As he tried to copy files on Earth 0, Miracle was confronted by Darkseid. Although he tried to fight, Miracle was easily defeated by his father and forced to flee. Shunted to Earth 0 by his Mother Box, Miracle landed in the presence of Lyshina and Kanto. Mr. Miracle managed to use his Mother Box to escape Kanto, ending up in the presence of Myrina Black and Griff. Taken to Myrina's temple, Miracle learned she intended to incite a battle between Mobius and Darkseid. Making his stance clear, Miracle was attacked by Myrina and prompted to once again use his Mother Box to escape. Kanto and Lyshina made it to Myrina's temple, but found it abandoned following her scuffle with Miracle. With Kanto's liberal use of his Mother Box alerting Cyborg to his presence, the Justice League made their way to his victims and began to investigate the crime. As the League discussed the importance of Myrina Black, the Flash was used as a portal to enter Earth 0 by Grail who immediately dispatched Batman. Proceeding to systematically take down Cyborg and Shazam, Grail was attacked by Wonder Woman who also sent word out to Superman. Superman and Lex Luthor were investigating the near dead Neutron to try and find out who tried to have Luthor killed. Deciding to check out Wonder Woman's emergency, Superman and Luthor were attacked by Lex's sister, Lena. After defeating Green Lantern, Grail used Jessica Cruz and the ring of Volthoom to bring Mobius to Earth 0. Using a Mother Box, Lena declared her loyalty to Darkseid and sent Superman and her brother to Apokolips. On Apokolips, Superman cauterized Luthor's wounds and informed him of their situation. Learning of the Kryptonian's arrival, Darkseid denied Steppenwolf the chance to fight him and instead ordered the Blood Shephard to loose the slaves on Superman so he could collect the Man of Tomorrow's soul. Realizing Mobius had arrived on Earth 0, Darkseid ordered Steppenwolf and DeSaad to prepare the Kryptonian Army, Mantis, the Furies and Kalibak for war. Summoning Kalibak, Steppenwolf made the stake clear for the brash son of Darkseid. Despite this, Kalibak openly voiced his disregard and decided he would claim glory in his name only. On Apokolips, Superman found his powers fading and was attacked by the hundreds of beings from the slave camps. Trying to fight Mobius, alone Wonder Woman was easily overwhelmed but was teleported away with the rest of the Justice League by Metron. The Justice League found themselves in Shazam's Rock of Eternity where Green Lantern made his disdain for Metron clear. In order to get answers from Metron, Wonder Woman removed him from the Mobius Chair, forcing Batman to sit on it, transforming Bruce Wayne into a New God. Unable to uncover the past of Mobius from the Mobius Chair, Batman refused to get off of it. Grail, however, directly summoned Darkseid, demanding her father answer Mobius' challenge. As Batman used the Mobius Chair to learn more of Grail, Miracle arrived and made his intentions to help the Justice League clear. With the League heading for Mobius, Batman and Green Lantern decided split off and search for answers instead. Before leaving, Miracle used his tools to lock Metron in place, abandoning him in the Rock. As Superman and Luthor tried to find safety, Diana led the Justice League to battle just as Darkseid arrived with his Parademon Army. In order to repower Superman, Luthor dropped him the Fire Pits only for the Kryptonian to return charged with negative energy. With Apokolips' negative energy corrupting him, Superman eviscerated the Parademons and began to torture Lex Luthor. Heading to Universe 3, Batman and Green Lantern started their search on Earth 3 but made their way to Qward. On Qward, Batman and Green Lantern discovered Mobius' hidden chamber, where he built his chair. As Darkseid fought Mobius, Kalibak fought Grail but was blinded for her. Intercepting and attacking Grail, Wonder Woman caught Myrina's attention. Grail continually proved to be more powerful than Wonder Woman and Mr. Miracle attacked Steppenwolf. The rest of the League attacked Mobius' shadows and the Parademon Army to give Jessica Cruz enough time to separate Mobius and Darkseid. Making her way to Myrina, Grail observed as Darkseid summoned the Black Racer to take care of Mobius. As Darkseid began to take control of the battle, Mobius bonded the Flash to the Black Racer with the Anti-Life Equation and used him like a bullet to kill the Dark God. With his enemy dead, Mobius and his shadows disappeared, leaving the Justice League to contemplate the future. Considering his attachment to the Black Racer, the Flash declared that he would control death. Quickly realizing that the Black Racer's influence was corrupting him, the Flash ran off away from the League. In confusion, Shazam also began to hear strange voices in his head and flew away. The remaining members of the League were left to deal with one more problem: the generals of Darkseid's army. Learning of Darkseid's death, Batman decided that the war had ended and informed Green Lantern they would be returning to Universe 0. Deciding to go back to Gotham City, Batman informed Green Lantern that the Parademon Army was making its way toward Oa and instructed him to intercept them. Superman continued to torture Luthor and decided to strand him on Apokolips, returning to Universe 0. With nowhere to go, Luthor began to wander Apokolips before being found by the Forgotten People. Captured by Ardora, Luthor claimed to be the man who the Blind Prophet spoke of.With the Omega Sanction leaving Darkseid's body and returning to Apokolips, Ardora began to capture it and contain it within Luthor. Grail and Myrina began to watch Mobius revert to his original form just as Luthor became a New God. Phase Two With Darkseid dead, his death throes rippled across creation and caused Shazam's connection to the Gods to "blink", resulting in the spirit of the Wizard quickly arranging a new contract with new Gods. Before the Wizard could finish, Zonuz struck and clawed his way in as well to try and get the Staff of Living Lightning. With voices dominating his head, Shazam was confounded at his new abilities. In order to expel the voices, Shazam said the word and was teleported to the Source as Billy Batson. Meeting Anapel, for the first time Batson understood the contract between the Wizard and Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury. Billy learned his powers now came from S'ivaa, H'ronmeer, Anapel and Ate. Making his way to the Wizard, Billy was shocked to learn Zonuz to be none other than Yuga Khan, the father of Darkseid. Transforming back into Shazam, Billy defeated Yuga Khan and learned the fifth God of the contract was none other than the Wizard himself, and the sixth God an imprisoned Yuga Khan. Hearing a woman's voice, the Flash was able to temporarily separate himself from the Black Racer for just a millisecond. Realizing the Racer would try to bond with him again, the Flash tried to run away to outrun death but found the Black Racer behind him. Sending the Flash a vision of his mother, the Black Racer made him realize that death had created him and informed him of his new duty as a God. Heading to Iris West, the Flash was ordered to reap her life but once again resisted. Taking the Black Racer's scythe, the Flash now began to chase his tormentor but realized that without a tether, he would unleash death on the whole world and reluctantly accepted his new place. On his way back to Earth 0, Superman was attacked by a being desiring to prove and test itself. Crashing the being down to Metropolis, Superman declared that the alien was not worth his time and made his way to a diner. There he began to harrass the staff all in pursuit of pie, with the negative energy damaging his perception. As black goo began to envelop the city of Metropolis, Jimmy Olsen tried to get Superman to help but his attempts proved futile. Refusing to save the city, Superman was reminded of the good in him by a small flying bird and decided to destroy the weapon the alien left behind. Freezing the goo and then smashing it, Superman restored Metropolis to its original state but finally realized that he was in dire need of help. With the Parademon Army flocking to the Central Battery and defeating the Green Lantern Corps, a weakened John Stewart sent out a message requesting help to Hal Jordan. Merging the Central Battery with Darkseid's Mother Box, the Parademons requested a Green Lantern become their God. Arriving on Oa, Jordan fought his way through the Parademon Army but was defeated and similarly taken to the Mother Box. Agreeing, Green Lantern let the Mother Box transform him into the God of Light and with a word, he restored Oa. Realizing that he had gained too much power for one man to have, Green Lantern ordered the Mother Box to restore him as well and proceeded to head for Gotham City. In Gotham, Batman began to apprehend criminals before they even committed a crime, frustrating the GCPD. Trying to get Batman to see the error of his ways, Gordon turned on the Bat-Signal to contact him but refused to listen. Finding some criminals, as punishment, Batman dropped them off in Antarctica. Intercepting a would-be wife-beater, Batman transported him off in Themyscira, surmising that the Amazons would change his perspective on his actions. Heading to Joe Chill, Batman mentally tortured the man who created him, getting satisfaction out of it. Returning to the Batcave, Batman informed Alfred of his intention of capturing the Joker once more. With the power of the Omega Sanction flowing through him, Lex Luthor was taken to the rest of the Forgotten People by Ardora. Failing to properly control his new powers, Luthor was informed by Ardora that if he could not, he would die. Initially refusing her help, Luthor let go of his pride and took Ardora's hand. Embracing Ardora, Luthor opened himself up to the Omega Sanction and discovered the Parademon Army was now at his command. Phase Three Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Mr. Miracle, Jessica Cruz and Steve Trevor charged into battle with Steppenwolf, Kanto, Lyshina and Kalibak. While Wonder Woman fought Kalibak, Cruz fought Lyshina but Volthoom began his attempts to take control of her. When Kanto fought and easily defeated Miracle, he was confronted by the arriving Big Barda who quickly neutralized him. Barda proceeded to aid Wonder Woman against Kalibak and also defeated Steppenwolf. Despite their defeat, the New Gods declared they would find Mobius. Realizing the remaining members of the Crime Syndicate held the answers of Mobius' true intentions, Wonder Woman was informed by Steve Trevor that they would have to break into Belle Reve to do so. After talking with Diana about her relationship with Superman, and trying to kiss her, Trevor was attacked by an arriving Superman, finally showing himself to Diana while full of negative energy. Realizing the danger that he posed, Wonder Woman was forced to attack her lover. Finding Batman in ACE Chemicals, Green Lantern continued to try and convince him to get off the Mobius Chair but were forced to leave when they learned of Superman's fight with Wonder Woman. Using her lasso, Wonder Woman managed to calm Superman down and accept his identity as Clark Kent just as Batman and Green Lantern arrived. Understanding the energy within Superman, Batman informed him that it was slowly breaking down his cellular structure and killing him. Cyborg and Jessica Cruz led Mr. Miracle and Big Barda to Belle Reve, where Barda proceeded to distract the guards to let Miracle confront Ultraman. When Cyborg and Cruz went to confront Superwoman, Volthoom used his influence to possess Cruz's body. Freeing Superwoman, Volthoom was confronted by Cyborg who attempted to override the ring of power. Failing, Volthoom turned Cybrog's own mainframe against him and reactivated Grid. Attacking Mr. Miracle, Superwoman's attack was ended early by an arriving Owlman who declared that in order to survive, the Crime Syndicate would have to work with the Justice League. Having had freed himself from Mr. Miracle's chains, Metron was confronted by Francesca, one of the patrons of the Rock of Eternity who spoke to him through a mirror, but Metron smashed it, avoiding her questions and seeking a way out of the Rock. Myrina and Grail continued to watch Mobius transform but were still attacked by his shadow legions. Informing Myrina that the Justice League would continue to oppose them, Grail revealed that in his transformation, Mobius had separated from the Anti-Life Equation. Collecting it, Grail proudly collected what Darkseid sought in life and informed Myrina that to complete her plans, she needed Steve Trevor. Just as Mobius returned, regaining his original form, Batman declared that the Justice League would have to reunite to fight a threat as powerful as him. The Justice League proceeded to meet up with the Crime Syndicate and listen to Owlman's account of Mobius' life. Despite his hesitations, Superman handed Kryptonite to the weakened Ultraman in order to ratify the League and Syndicate's understandings. Grid then located Mobius in Gotham City, where all the superheroes and supervillains convened to fight the Anti-God. Attacking Batman personally, Mobius demanded his chair back but was distracted by Volthoom and Green Lantern, the latter of whom unleashed the Green Lantern Corps on the Anti-God. After killing several Green Lanterns, Mobius easily neutralized Wonder Woman and Superwoman before being attacked by Superman and Ultraman. Refusing Superman's help, Ultraman attempted to defeat Mobius himself but was easily murdered. Mobius' next challengers ended up being none other than Lex Luthor, God of Apokolips, armed with the Parademon Army. Her consciousness trapped inside the ring of power, Cruz saw the remnants of the previous wielders of the ring of Volthoom and was attacked by the previous Power Ring. Refusing to give in to Volthoom, Cruz continually tried to escape the previous ring wielders. Finding the consciousness of Cyborg, Cruz and he began to plot to defeat Volthoom. Meeting her daughter, Myrina found Grail praying to the Old Gods in an isolated cave. In the midst of battle, Grail and Myrina snuck up behind and kidnapped Steve Trevor. Just as Superwoman began to give birth, Grail made her intentions with Trevor clear. Falsely believing Trevor to be the first man on Themyscira, Grail proceeded with her plans to subjugate the Amazons and get final revenge against Darkseid despite her mother's protests. Bonding Trevor to the Anti-Life Equation, Grail created her own personal weapon to use against Mobius. Refusing the League or Syndicate's help, Luthor attacked Mobius on his own. Refusing to relocate Superwoman, Batman revealed that the Syndicate's weapon against Mobius was none other than Superwoman's child. Using his Parademons, Luthor proceeded to gain a temporary advantage against Mobius but wasted the moment in his arrogance and was swarmed by the shadows. With the rest of the League converging in on Mobius, Mr. Miracle decided to stay while Barda left to try and free Apokolips. In order to expel the energy of Apokolips, Superman unleashed a solar flare, restoring him and even slightly hurting Mobius. Just as he began to kill Lex Luthor, Mobius was confronted by the returning Grail and Myrina. Right after Superwoman gave birth to her son, Grail used the power stored within Trevor to eviscerate and put an end to Mobius. Phase Four The next person Steve would attack on order of Grail was none other than Wonder Woman. Despite her protests, though, Steve was unable to resist Grail's commands. As he continued to fight Diana, though, Steve managed to hold back on the full power of the Anti-Life Equation. Confronting Grail, Batman tried to understand her actions, rationalizing that she had become just like her father. Evading Shazam, Grail attacked Mr. Miracle but was temporarily chained by the Green Lantern Corps. Using her axe, Grail easily broke out. Attempting to kill Trevor, Lex Luthor was stopped by Superman and unleashed the power of the Omega Sanction. On order from Owlman, Superwoman used her child to absorb the Omega Sanction from Luthor. While boasting of her child's strength, Superwoman was disintegrated by Grail who took the baby and used it to separate the Flash from the Black Racer. Ordering the Black Racer to take the Flash's life, Grail made the speedster run from death once more. Grail then used the baby to neutralize Shazam, striking lightning through him. While trapped in the Ring of Volthoom, Cyborg managed to hack into it long enough to give Jessica control of her body once more, albeit temporarily. In her limited time in control, Jessica jumped between the Black Racer and the Flash. The Racer proceeded to reap the remnants of Volthoom's life stored in his ring and leave. Contact with the Black Racer, however, left Jessica catatonic and assumed dead. Belieiving Jessica dead, Superman declared that the Justice League was always mortal and led their charge against Grail. Using the Mobius Chair, Batman realized that Trevor was not the first man on Themyscira and could be used against Grail. Removing the Anti-Life Equation from Trevor, Grail proceeded to store it in the baby and transform the child of Superwoman into Darkseid. Using Darkseid like a doll, Grail ordered her father to fight the Justice League. Realizing that Bruce needed to get off the Mobius Chair, Hal temporarily loaned him his Green Ring of Willpower to afford him enough will to get off the chair. Before Grail could kill Batman and Jordan, Big Barda returned with the generals and the Furies of Apokolips to kill Grail. As Batman regained his composure, Owlman stole the Mobius Chair and freed Cyborg by downloading Grid onto it. With her daughter having had embraced evil, a sorrowful Myrina approached Diana but was attacked by an enraged Grail. As the rest of the League continued to fight Darkseid, Wonder Woman tried to stop Grail. Informing Diana that only Grail could remove the Anti-Life Equation from Darkseid, Wonder Woman bound Grail with her lasso and let the daughter of evil calm her mind. Ordering Grail to unleash the Anti-Life through her, Grail agreed and killed her mother while also ending Darkseid once more. Aftermath With the war finally over, Diana approached a weakened Steve Trevor and realized he would be all right. Making her way to Myrina, Diana learned that the first man on Themyscira was actually her twin brother, Jason. A Green Ring of Willpower made its way down to Earth, choosing Jessica Cruz as a Green Lantern and awakening her from her catatonic state. Barda proceeded to have another tearful goodbye with Mr. Miracle before returning to the Furies on Apokolips. Returning to her cave, Grail proceeded to cradle the baby whose body Darkseid possessed, declaring she would raise her father like she was raised. Lex Luthor, bearing new power armor, returned to Apokolips for a revolution. Joining Ardora, Luthor was given a Mother Box and also had his new armor brandished with the crest of the House of El. Retreating to the Batcave, Batman began to investigate the Joker once more. Informing an arriving Hal Jordan of the chair's secrets, Batman also apologized for his behavior. Wonder Woman meanwhile contemplated the secret of her brother and was approached by Myrina's pet, Griff. Arriving on the moon, Owlman met with Metron there and learned from him how to properly use the Mobius Chair. After demanding to know the secrets of the universe, Owlman immediately became fearful at the impending arrival of a new threat. Within an instant, both Metron and Owlman were vaporized by Dr. Manhattan, with only the Mobius Chair left intact. Informed by Silas Stone that the power he gained on Apokolips was killing him, Superman had no way to fix himself. However, his death date was suspended by an attack by Vandal Savage who proceeded to steal away his powers. After restoring himself, though, Superman's impending death was accelerated and brought closer. Eventually, in addition to Kryptonite poisoning, Superman passed away after defeating Denny Swan. While looking down at Earth 0, Wally West realized that in spite of everything, it was his home. Breaking free of the Speed Force due to a fissure in reality caused by Darkseid's death, Wally tried to make contact with Batman, despite the fact that it could kill him. After Batman failed to recognize him, Wally begged him to go to the Flash and question him about the Flashpoint. As he was flung back into the Speed Force, Wally recalled his memories of the Modern Timeline and how the Lost Timelines transformed into Earth 0 due to the interference of Dr. Manhattan. Realizing that Manhattan's interference wiped out legacies, Wally found a connection with Johnny Thunder and begged that he bring the Justice Society back. Trying to find another connection, West witnessed a woman detained in a police station waiting for Superman, with her Legion of Super-Heroes ring taken by the authorities. Trying to find another connection, West past over Ryan Choi, who was determined to rescue Ray Palmer from the Microverse. West then passed over Ted Kord trying to help Jaime Reyes and deal with Dr. Fate; the thirteenth birthday of Damian Wayne; Jessica Cruz being told to go find Simon Baz; Jackson Hyde dealing with his powers. West stopped seeing these images, though, just as Pandora condemned Dr. Manhattan for his actions during the Flashpoint and was subsequently vaporized. Passing Grail with baby Darkseid, Wally made his way to the site of Superman's death where the metahuman community began to collectively mourn, where he witnessed Green Arrow meet Black Canary. Making his way to Clark White, Wally West watched as the timeline remnant was approached by Mr. Oz. West's next glimpses were of Aquaman proposing to Mera near the site of their first meeting. Trying to establish a connection with Linda Park, Wally was nearly killed by the Speed Force when she failed to recognize him. Passing by new heroes in Gotham City, John Constantine with Swamp Thing, Captain Boomerang, Cyborg and Dick Grayson, Wally West hopelessly tried to establish a new connection. Arriving in Central City, Wally witnessed his cousin, Wallace West, gain superpowers and began to fade away. With his chances at establishing a connection having had finished, Wally made his way towards the Flash. Thanking Barry for the life he had been given, Wally also told him to head to Batman to remember the missing ten years. Telling Barry goodbye, Wally began to fade away but was remembered by the Flash at the last second and pulled into Earth 0. Remembering the missing ten years, Barry apologized to Wally for having had forgot. Just as Wally informed Barry of the threat of Dr. Manhattan, Batman found the Comedian's Badge deep within the Batcave. Just as Wally made it into permanence, his watch also returned from the Speed Force and landed on Mars, breaking upon impact. Category:Conflicts Category:Battles